Tintic, Mammoth Mine

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This page was last updated on March 4, 2026.

Overview

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Mammoth mine, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)

The Mammoth mine was organized in February 1870 by a group of miners that included Charles Crismon. Supposedly one of that original group of prospectors stated "Boys, she's a mammoth strike! We've got ourselves a mammoth mine." Within a couple years Crismon became the majority owner and in 1873, he exchanged his interest in the mine to Samuel and William McIntyre for cattle that the McIntyre brothers had herded into the Tintic Valley from Texas. One of the first mills in the district, and later a small smelter, was built in 1873 by the Crismon-Mammoth Company out in the valley near the McIntyre's Tintic Ranch, seven miles southwest of the Mammoth mine. The Crismon mill soon became known simply as the "Tintic Mill". The location was chosen to put the mill on land already owned by the McIntyres, and to allow the mill to be near a good source of water. Fuel was another matter, and its high cost would soon be a deciding factor in the mill's closure.

(It was George Crismon who was associated with the Mammoth mine. His brother, Charles Crismon, was also associated with the Mammoth. Charles Crismon Jr., was superintendent of the Swansea mine near Silver City, and both George and Charles Sr. were owners of the Eureka Hill property. When the coal mines in Chalk Creek above Coalville in Summit County in early 1874, George Crismon was involved and, through his Crismon Coal company, furnished coal to the Salt Lake City market. By 1880, Charles Crismon was a resident of Coalville, then moving by May 1880 to Maricopa County, Arizona, on the Salt River. By 1880, George Crismon was still a resident of Salt Lake City, and was the Salt Lake County Tax Assessor and Collector.)

The story of the Mammoth Mine is famous in Utah lore for how the McIntyre brothers acquired it. In 1870, Samuel and William McIntyre trailed a large herd of Texas Longhorns into the Tintic Valley.

In 1873, they encountered Charles Crismon, who had been struggling to make the Mammoth Mine profitable. In a legendary "cattle-for-gold" deal, the brothers traded approximately 1,400 head of cattle for a controlling interest in the mine.

Shortly after the trade, a brutal winter hit the valley, and nearly all of the cattle the McIntyres had traded away froze to death.

Meanwhile, the McIntyres sank the mine shaft deeper and struck an incredibly rich body of ore. The mine went on to produce an estimated $15 million to $20 million in gold, silver, copper, and lead over its lifetime.

The Mammoth mine is at the head of Mammoth Hollow, also called Mammoth Basin. In 1898, it had been productive from the first, the location having been made on a large, irregular, elliptical-shaped body of ore, which bas been followed continuously from the surface to the bottom of the mine, a vertical distance of 1,600 feet.

The owners of the Mammoth mine were using freight wagons to get the ore down from their mine to the company's new mill, a distance of two miles as the crow flies. The steady stream of wagons moving along the steep road between the mine at Upper Mammoth, and the new mill at Robinson (Mammoth Station on the railroads), was a cost that the company wanted to avoid. To reduce its costs, the company approached the railroads about building a branch to the mine. Although the Mammoth mine's prospects were bright, both railroads hesitated at building such a steep and difficult line, saying that the mining company would have to pay a large share of the added costs for such a difficult line. To avoid these costs, in January 1894, the mine owners (the McIntyre brothers) organized the East Tintic Railway to build a 2-1/2 mile railroad between a connection with the joint trackage at Mammoth (Robinson), where their mill was, and the mine at the top of Mammoth Hollow. The plans for the new railroad laid dormant after other mining companies along the proposed route expressed an interest in using the new line to haul their ores to the OSL&UN line for eventual movement of their own ores to the Salt Lake Valley smelters. These other mining companies were each located in the upper reaches of Mammoth Hollow, and each had its own mill.

The following description of the Crismon Mammoth mine comes from the Salt Lake Tribune, June 3, 1877.

The Crismon Mammoth is situated on the great Mammoth vein just north of the Copperopolis, and is a property which some day will attract the eyes of the whole world on account of the immense bodies of rich gold, silver and copper ores. The property was discovered shortly after the Copperopolis was struck, by a party of Mormon boys from Payson, who sold it to the Crismon brothers for a trifle. The new owners commenced developments and soon paid for the mine out of the proceeds realized from their shipments of rich copper ore.

At the time, 1872, ore which was worth less that $100 per ton would hardly pay to ship, and as only small pockets of high grade silver ore had then been discovered, the mine was prospected for copper exclusively. It was known that the vein matter in which the copper was found would assay all the way from $15 to $50 per ton, but there was no market for it, so it was regarded as waste and thrown over the dump, together with all the low grade copper ores, are used to fill up the old stopes in the mine. Matters went on in this manner for a time, when it was considered advisable to sell out, and the mine was offered in San Francisco, but on examination by an expert from the coast, it was found, in his examination, to fall far short of what Carter & Wilson, who were negotiating the sale, had represented.

After this the owners pushed a tunnel into the hill and about 200 feet below the upper working, struck the first vein of ore, running north and south some twelve feet thick. The tunnel was run through solid lime rock, and the first vein struck, as indeed do all the veins in the mine, squarely out the formation and lay between two perfect walls. When the copper in this vein had been stoped out, the main tunnel was driven into the east foot wall, but why nobody quite knows, because the mine was worked without surveys.

The extension of the tunnel, some sixty feet through solid lime rock, brought them to the second vein, the largest yet discovered in the mine. Its thickness, as far as developed by levels, cross-cuts and shafts, shows it to vary from twenty to sixty feet, carrying high and low grade copper and silver ores. A north drift has been pushed in on this vein, hugging the foot wall, a distance of 160 feet, all the way in ore. In this drift, some fifty feet distant from the main tunnel, a shaft 250 feet deep, has been sunk on the vein, with cross-cuts between the walls showing the ore body to be in one place, over sixty feet thick. In this shaft rich gold ore has been struck, believed to be a continuation of the streak discovered in the workings above, but new work in it has been suspended, owing to the presence of bad air. The third vein was reached by pushing the main tunnel eastward, through the solid lime rock again about thirty feet. Comparatively little development has been made in this ore body, though a rich streak of chloride silver ore is being followed in its windings in the vein.

A contract was let to some parties to drive the tunnel forward from this point, another hundred feet eastward, but they were not watched, and having hit upon a streak of soft lime rock, they drove the tunnel in a semicircle to the northward and found nothing. The upper and lower workings are connected by stopes on the middle or larger vein. It is very difficult to tell anything about the upper works.

From the point where the visitor first reaches the ore body by the upper tunnel, he is taken through a labyrinth of drifts, shafts, stopes and chambers, which were worked without system and without regard to permanency. The whole mountain here seems to stand on pillars of ore which was found to be too low grade to be removed. No timbers at all are used, though the hill is honeycombed, and is still yielding from this part of the mine twelve tons of ore daily. Those gooberings are the result of a hot pursuit after rich copper ore when the price was up. Thus no regard was paid to the surrounding material, it was copper, copper, copper! A large quantity of rich gold ore, which was regarded as having too little copper to save, was used as "waste" and an old stope was filled up with it. Since that time the value of the "waste" has been discovered, and it is now being removed, carefully sacked and sent to the company's mill. How this "waste" turns out may be gleaned from the gold bullion reports for the past month.

Instead of the Crismon Mammoth appearing like a series of veins in the lime rock, it appears like a series lime rocks in a vein. But the mine has been worked in such a manner that there is danger of the hill dropping in almost at any time. Old miners can hardly be seduced to work in it. We understand, however, that the company have contracted for a considerable quantity of timber, and the work of putting it in will soon be commenced. In the hands of a San Francisco company, and an expenditure of $100,000 in improvements, would make it a leading property to Utah. Mr. Charles Crismon says he could work 200 men in the mine constantly and produce a ton of ore to the man after getting the mine in shape. At present the company are working twenty-three men, and are taking out thirteen tons of ore per day, eight of which, high grade silver, are sent to Col. Locke's mill and five tons of gold ore to the company's own works.

The mine and tunnel are patented. The yield for the best month has been 500 tons of silver and gold ore, the silver averaging $65 and the gold $300 per ton. Sixty tons of ore on the dump. Since our last report 150 feet of work has been done on the various drifts and cross-cuts. No copper ore of consequence is being taken out.

The town of Mammoth was located at the lower end of Mammoth Hollow, with the mine itself being at the top of the Hollow. The town of Mammoth was incorporated in 1910, but due to shrinking population, was disincorporated in 1929.

Much of the gold leaf used in the Gold Room of the Utah State Capitol was sourced from the Mammoth Mine.

The Mammoth mine became one of the deepest mines in the district, eventually reaching over 2,600 feet underground.

Mammoth Mine

(The Mammoth mine was separate from the Mammoth Copperopolis, later Ajax, mine.)

(Read more about the Mammoth Copperopolis mine, as the southern extension of the Mammoth Lode; first worked in September 1871, and known as the Ajax mine after 1894, then the Gold Chain mine after 1909.)

September 3, 1870
"Mr. Meader, in connection with other parties, has leased the Mammoth mine from Maj. Harmon & Co. for five years, paying a certain per cent of the net profits. They will build furnaces. Chas. Crismon, Jr., & Co. are taking out paying ores from the Mammoth. Capt. Geo. Chisholm is doing so likewise, and selling at the dump." (Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, September 3, 1870)

April 29, 1871
"The Silver City Star, in its historical review of the early happenings in the Tintic district, says: The Mammoth tunnel site was located April 29, 1871, by Noah Armstrong and E. S. Atkins. Armstrong is well remembered in Tintic as the purchaser of the original Mammoth lode locations and who patented them, the claims now forming 1,000 feet of the great Ajax property." (Salt Lake Herald, May 4, 1897)

November 1, 1871
"The Mammoth lode, a very large and extensive copper vein, situate about three miles from Eureka, on the road to Silver City, certainly well merits its name. It is indeed mammoth in the true sense of the word, and is owned and being worked by Chrissman on the north, and Armstrong, on the south. Mr. Chrisman has run a splendid tunnel from the base of the hill, two hundred feet, and is now, I should judge, within about one hundred feet of the ledge, which he proposes to tap at his shaft on the bill. His dump makes a fine appearance, there being a large quantity of first-class ore on it, all ready for shipment, a great deal of which is nearly pure copper." (Salt Lake Daily Review, November 1, 1871)

February 9, 1872
"Notice is hereby given, that Thomas Jenkins, H. P. Kimball, Charles Crismon, George Crismon, and Charles Crismon, Jr., do claim 3000 feet by 200 feet on the northern extension of the Mammoth Lode (being a copper and silver bearing vein of rock in place), and the land and premises appertaining to said mine, all situated in the Tintic mining district, county of Juab and Territory of Utah." Containing 13.77 acres. Dated February 9, 1872. Filed with the U. S. Land Office in Salt Lake City on February 15, 1872. (Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, March 23, 1872)

January 25, 1873
"Crisman, Jenkins & Co.'s Mammoth Mine -- Started up to-day with thirty good, practical miners. This is a well developed claim and is supposed to have been sold for 'big money' to an English company." (Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, January 25, 1873)

March 15, 1873
"There is no Copperopolis mine - but a Mammoth Copperopolis, and Crismon's Mammoth. These mines are raising almost fabulous quantities of ore, rich in gold, silver and copper. The latter is now on the English market, and experts say that it is well worth the $600,000 the company ask for it." (Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, March 15, 1873)

(In the early years, the newspapers regularly confused the Crismon Mammoth company with the adjacent Mammoth Copperopolis company. They were two separate companies.)

September 6, 1873
"The Crismon Mammoth mine had its tunnel in four hundred and twenty feet, and it was reported that a vein forty feet in width had been struck." (Utah Mining Gazette, September 6, 1873)

December 19, 1873
"Tintic news from Provo Times, Dec. 19. -- The Crismon Mammoth mine has only four hands at work, and in all probability will be all the men engaged until next spring." (Deseret News, December 22, 1873)

January 10, 1874
"The Mammoth Copperopolis, and Crismon Mammoth, are still yielding ore in large quantities; it is remarkable how this mine 'holds her own,' and lucky are the stockholders of both companies." (Utah Mining Gazette, January 10, 1874)

(Then, in early 1874 both mines became inactive, for different reasons.)

Mammoth Copperopolis, 1874-1877

The Mammoth Copperopolis mine, mill and smelter were inactive from January 1874 through mid 1875 as the company defended itself in the courts, from a suit by its miners which sued for back wages. There was finally a settlement in December 1874, but the company itself remained inactive. All mining and milling activity after December 1874 was by leasers, which shared their proceeds with the company, with Simon Bamberger taking a lease on the mine and mill in August 1875. Then in September 1876, the English company began having financial problems from not paying various promissory notes to local banks. The banks sued for their money, but were delayed in collecting because the mining company, Mammoth Copperopolis Mining company, was an English company.

(Read more about the Mammoth Copperopolis Mine; which was the Mammoth Copperopolis Mining company from 1871, then the Ajax mine in 1894, then the Gold Chain in 1909.)

August 22, 1874
"North on the same [Mammoth Copperopolis] vein is the Crismon Mammoth, opened by shafts and tunnels. At one place the vein is forty-three feet in width, the ores of the same character as the Mammoth. One selected assay gave $42,000 in gold. It is owned by Crismon Bros." (Utah Mining Gazette, August 22, 1874)

February 15, 1875
"Brother Elias Morris returned on Saturday evening from a visit to Tintic District. He reports that the Germania furnace, leased by McIntyre & Co., ran out five tons of bullion in thirty hours, while he was there. The ore from which this product was obtained was the Mammoth, better known as the Crismon. The parties now operating the furnace intend running it for three months, at the end of which time their lease expires." (Deseret News, February 15, 1875)

September 1, 1875
"The Germania furnace is running under the able management of Mr. Henry, formerly assayer at the Shoebridge mill. This enterprise is going to be a grand success. The ores being smelted are from the Crismon Mammoth and Shoebridge mines. The ores from the last named mine contain a sufficient quantity of sulphur to mix with the carbonate of copper ores from Mammoth to produce regulus. Formerly the product from this furnace was black or crude copper. This material, owing to the percentage of antimony and arsenic in combination with the copper, was rather a dead article in the copper market, while the present product is always in active demand." (Real Estate and Mining Gazette, September 1, 1875)

("Regulus" was the metallic mass that forms beneath the slag at the bottom of a furnace or smelter during the smelting of ores. It represents an impure intermediate product, known as "coarse metal," which required further oxidation to remove sulfur. It serves to collect valuable metals like gold or copper from the ore while separating them from impurities.)

November 1882
The Mammoth company contracted with Elias Morris to construct six furnaces at Tintic. At about this time, Butler-Johnstone arrived from England and took control of the company. After that time there was confusion as to who was in charge, Cunningham and the McIntyres or Butler-Johnstone, and who had authority to make or change the contract. This resulted in a lengthy law suit that came to court in May 1885. Cunningham told Morris that funds had been sent from England for the purpose of building the furnaces. "and very shortly Mr. H. A. Munro Butler Johnstone came from England and took charge." (Deseret News, May 21, 1885; coverage of the law suit)

(This suggests that the English ownership predated November 1882.)

January 11, 1883
"Mammoth Mining Company. -- Any one having claims against this company for past accounts are requested to send in a statement of the amount due and particulars of the claim, to the company's office, 101 Main Street, addressed to the accountant of the Mammoth Mining Company, on or before Monday, Jan. 22d, 1883. - H. A. Munro Butler-Johnstone." (Salt Lake Herald, January 11, 1883)

(By early 1883, the Mammoth Mining Company was undergoing significant financial restructuring as the McIntyres and the associates optioned the Mammoth mine to English interests. Butler-Johnstone's name on the notice suggests he was personally overseeing the audit of claims and payroll to stabilize the company's local operations in Salt Lake City.)

H. A. Munro Butler-Johnstone

Henry Alexander Munro-Butler-Johnstone (1837–1902) was a prominent British politician, author, and investor who, at the time of the above newspaper item, was becoming involved in Utah mining ventures. In January 1883 he was acting in a high-level administrative capacity (likely as a director or majority stockholder) of the Mammoth Mining company.

Born Henry Alexander Butler-Johnstone, he added "Munro" to his surname in 1874 to honor an inheritance from his mother's family. He was the grandson of the 13th Baron Dunboyne.

H. A. Munro Butler-Johnstone served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Canterbury for sixteen years (1862–1878).

(Research has not yet found any reference of Butler-Johnstone being involved in any mines in the United States prior to this item in January 1883.)

February 3, 1883
"The Mammoth Mine. -- We are desired by Mr. Butler Johnstone to state that he is the representative of the new purchasers of the Mammoth Mine. The vendors, who are represented by Mr. J. A. Cunningham, and Messrs. Samuel and William McIntyre, of this city, have a contract with Mr. W. H. H. Bowers, who in his turn has surrendered a large portion of his interest to Mr. Butler Johnstone and his friends, retaining only a portion of his contingent interest in the property. We further understand, that although it is only stipulated in the contract that a small portion of the purchase money is to be paid to the vendors monthly, it is the intention of the purchasers to pay the whole purchase money in the spring, and to stock the mine in the London Stock Exchange. Mr. W. H. H. Bowers, who by his contract with the vendors bound himself to run the business in his own name and at his own expense, has surrendered this power to Mr. Butler Johnstone, who has voluntarily undertaken to pay the debts legitimately incurred in the business, since Mr. Bowers' original contract and assumed on himself the whole responsibility for all future debts incurred in the management of this property." (Salt Lake Herald, February 3, 1883)

Summary of the Transaction, which was a shift in the ownership and management of the Mammoth Mine, specifically involving a transition from the original owners to English investors.

Mr. J.A. Cunningham and the McIntyre brothers were the sellers of the mine.
Mr. W.H.H. Bowers originally held a contract to purchase and manage the mine, but he has surrendered most of his interest and authority.
Mr. Butler Johnstone (representing a group of English purchasers) has taken over. He intends to pay off the remaining purchase price by spring and list the company on the London Stock Exchange.
Johnstone has assumed all financial responsibility for the mine's debts and future management, replacing Bowers as the primary operator.

February 25, 1883
From the Salt Lake Herald, February 25, 1883.

A year ago last December [December 1881] W. H. H. Bowers, well-known in mining circles here, took a bond on the mine, and worked the property with a view to its sale. In place of the cedar timbers and brush lagging, he had larger timbers put in where the excavation had been so great as to leave very large chambers made entirely by the taking out of ore, and in which there had already been one very heavy cave. He also developed the mine in different parts, and had it, as far as possible, put in a shape which would show its extent and richness. During the autumn following [1882], the English parties with whom he was originally connected in the bond, requested Hon. H. A. Monroe Butler Johnstone to visit the mine, and to have it reported upon by Mr. J. Taylor, a well-known mining expert, belonging to the firm of John Taylor & Sons, of London. The report of the expert was so favorable, that the English syndicate, with which Mr. Johnstone was in communication, authorized him to erect furnaces and refining works, and to deal with the property as he deemed best, with a view to putting it on the English market as soon as the works were completed. With this view, Mr. F. E. Goodhart, of the firm of Goodhart & Metcalf, of London, is about to leave London to come to Utah to make final arrangements for the disposal of the property.

Mr. Johnstone immediately began making preparations for the working of the mine on a scale in keeping with the character of the property. John W. Plummer, Esq., a man of large and varied mining experience, covering not only Montana, California and Nevada, but Lake Superior, was engaged and took charge of the operations. The mine was placed under the immediate charge of Mr. C. Johnson, a young man of large practical experience as a miner, in Utah, Montana, and Idaho, as well as elsewhere; and while work was prosecuted here with a view to vastly increasing the output of ore, preparations on a scale equally as great were making at the smelters, to handle the increased product.

(Smelters were built, both blast and reverberatory; a total of 14. But the technology was so poor that the output was far below expectations. The output was so poor that as many as 24 furnaces were planned as well as a new crusher of greater capacity and a concentrating mill and a refinery, to get the daily production of metals up to the expected daily output. Although the concentration technology used was the same as that used successfully at Park City, the production of concentrates was also very poor on the Mammoth ores. )

Production was about one car load of copper matte per day, averaging $3,000 per car load.

March 27, 1883
"All work, it is reported, has been stopped on the Mammoth mine and the smelters. One month's pay is due the men, and they have not only struck but have also seized a great deal of the property and declare their intention of holding it until paid. Copper matte has been seized and there is a general feeling of disquietude." (Salt Lake Herald, March 27, 1883)

April 13, 1883
"Work at the Mammoth mine and works has been entirely suspended." (Deseret News, April 13, 1883)

April 15, 1883
"There is no material change in affairs at the Mammoth mine. A cablegram received on Saturday stated that Mr. F. E. Goodhart has left London and is now on his way to New York. Mr. Goodhart is the gentleman most directly interested in the mine and his coming to this country is connected with the mine. He recently advanced, it is said, $50,000 on the mine, to make the monthly payment and lift the attachment in the dynamo machines." The mine itself, being the McIntyres as owners, was not responsible for the wages due men, nor the payment on the machinery. These costs lay solely with Butler-Johnstone and W. H. H. Bowers, as holders of the option. (Salt Lake Herald, April 15, 1883)

The "English Interests" and the $50,000 Crisis: The $50,000 mentioned in the clipping from April 1883 was part of a desperate attempt by British investors to maintain control of the mine.
F. E. Goodhart was a prominent London investor representing a British syndicate. At the time (April 1883), the English group held an option to purchase the mine from its owners, the McIntyre brothers.
The English syndicate was struggling with high overhead and the cost of new "dynamo machines" (early electrical generators used for lighting and power), with an "attachment" (a legal seizure of property for unpaid debts) having been placed on the machinery for non-payment.
Despite Goodhart's $50,000 infusion and his trip from London to New York, the English syndicate eventually failed. They could not keep up with the massive payments required to finalize the purchase.

May 22, 1883
"Coming for Sure — Mr. Cunningham, one of the former proprietors of the Mammoth Mine, in Tintic District, has received a dispatch from Mr. Goodhart, the English barrister who is now largely interested in the property, informing him that he will reach this city, for certain, on Thursday next. This will be good news to those holding accounts against the company who purchased the mine and built the smelting and refining works, as it is an indication of a prospective settlement of the difficulties with which the enterprise has, for some time, been encompassed. We learn also that Mr. Butler Johnstone will not come with Mr. Goodhart, he having left New York for England last Saturday." (Deseret News, May 22, 1883)

July 7, 1883
"The Mammoth Mine. — The Salt Lake Daily Tribune says: — It seems that Mr. Butler Johnstone's undertaking with the Crismon Mammoth has failed. Not from his fault though. He had a syndicate of five men at his back with plenty of the needful in hand at the start. One of them died last winter and another failed, and left Mr. Johnstone stranded. Mr. Goodhart, who was here last week, liked the appearance of the enterprise, and if there was no cloud on it, it is understood would raise a sufficient working capital to complete the projected works, and go ahead. But there are sundry claims out against the Johnstone-Bowers company, or the property they hold, which will probably be sued. The owners do not think the property can be held for these claims. At all events, nothing more will be done until they have been adjudicated by the courts." (Whitstable Times, Kent, England, July 7, 1883)

The "sundry claims" mentioned in the clipping led to a complex legal battle that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
At the heart of the dispute was a question of who was actually responsible for the mine's debts: the established Mammoth Mining Company or the individuals Butler Johnstone and Bowers.
The specific case (Mammoth Mining Co. v. Salt Lake Foundry & Machine Co.) arose shortly after the failure of the English syndicate to make the needed payments, and was eventually decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1894.
The Salt Lake Foundry had provided materials and labor to the mine in early 1883. When they weren't paid, they sued to place a lien on the mine property.
Between January and March 1883, the Foundry provided over $3,600 worth of work. After receiving only a $500 payment, the Foundry filed a mechanic's lien on March 27, 1883, to secure the remaining $3,106.04.
The Mammoth Mining Company argued they weren't liable because the work had been contracted by Butler Johnstone and Bowers personally, who were supposedly operating the mine on their own credit under a private agreement.
The courts (first in Territorial District Court, then the Territorial Supreme Court, and later the U.S. Supreme Court) ruled against the mining company.
The court found that Johnstone and Bowers had "apparent authority" to act for the company. Because the foundry didn't know about the private "Johnstone-Bowers" internal deal, the Mammoth Mining Company was held responsible for the debt.
The legal and financial mess left behind by Johnstone's failed syndicate stalled the mine for a period. However, the mine itself was far from a failure. While Butler Johnstone's specific undertaking collapsed, the Mammoth mine continued to declare dividends of astounding percentages. Some reports commented that the Mammoth was not only famous as a literal gold mine, but also as a "lawyer's gold mine" due to the decades of litigation that followed.
The question put before the Supreme Court concerned whether or not someone (such as the Butler-Johnstone syndicate) taking an option to purchase the interests and assets of a mining company (such as the Mammoth Mining company), was also designated as an agent for that mining company, thus making the mining company subject to a mechanics lien placed by an unpaid vendor (such as the Salt Lake Foundry & Machine company) after furnishing either a product or a service. The lower court found in favor of the vendor since any contract it had made had been in good faith against the mining company, unless specifically stated in the option. It was apparently a major decision that benefited all vendors, no matter the industry.
"One who furnishes materials and labor for the erection of structures on the property of a mining corporation, pursuant to a contract made in the company's name by its authorized agent, is entitled to a mechanic's lien, notwithstanding the existence of an agreement, not known to him, whereby the agent was to have possession of the property, and make the improvements on his own sole credit. -- Mammoth Mining Company vs. Salt Lake Foundry & Machine Company, 14 Supreme Court Reports, 384, Supreme Court of the United States." (The Needles California Eye, April 21, 1894)

(This was the first of two law suits against the Mammoth company for unpaid debts. The second was begun by William Jennings, which first appeared on the court docket on April 23, 1884, with the trial set for May 28, 1884. On November 18, 1884, the trial was postponed until December 8, 1884. On November 29, 1884, Jennings was replaced as plaintiff by Elias Morris.)

May 16, 1885
The Salt Lake Herald of May 16, 1885 carried a lengthy report of the opening day of a law suit between Elias Morris & Co. vs. the Mammoth Mining company.

A summary of the key aspects of the case:

The plaintiff, Elias Morris (a builder), was suing the Mammoth Mining Company and its primary directors (J. A. Cunningham and William and Samuel McIntyre; they being a majority of the directors, and holding nearly all the stock) for over $12,000. The debt stemmed from construction work, boarding house accounts, and cash advances made during the development of the company’s mining and smelting facilities in Tintic.
The Plaintiff’s Position: Morris argues that he was contracted by the company's managers, specifically W.H.H. Bowers and later the eccentric Henry A. Munro Butler-Johnstone. He contends that these men were authorized agents of the corporation and that the company directors actively supervised and approved the work being done.
The Defense’s Position: The company claims that Bowers and Butler-Johnstone were acting in personal capacities and were not authorized to bind the corporation to these debts. They essentially argue that Morris extended credit to "irresponsible" individuals rather than the company itself.
In the early part of 1882 W. H. H. Bowers was manager of the Mammoth, and acting for the company. He was removed some months later and the affairs of the company were then conducted by the President, Mr. Cunningham. In December, 1882, and from that time till April, 1883, the management of the company was vested in Henry A. Munro Butler-Johnstone, who had arrived in Utah in the latter part of the year 1882.
The plaintiff presented "Mammoth Mining Co." printed stationery and checks signed by the managers to prove the company’s involvement. Despite defense objections, the judge allowed these into evidence.
True to his British background, those in the courtroom including the plaintiff, the defense, and the judge himself broke into a "broad guffaw" after one of the witnesses revealed that Butler-Johnstone, in his nightly meetings with his foremen and clerks, called them his "staff."
While this specific suit is for roughly $12,000, the article noted that Morris had additional claims pending from a different period of management. In total, he is seeking approximately $30,000 (with interest) and had placed a lien on the Mammoth property to secure the debt.
At the time, Butler-Johnstone was "yachting on a cruise on the Mediterranean" which made obtaining a disposition very difficult.

May 21, 1885
From the Deseret News, May 21, 1885. Coverage of the law suit continued.

Elias Morris, in November, 1882, was engaged by Mr. James A. Cunningham, who was president of the Mammoth Mining Company, to erect six smelting furnaces at Tintic, Mr. Cunningham stating to Mr. Morris at the time, that a fund had been sent from England for that purpose to Mr. Austin, but as Austin could not go in person to Tintic, he (Cunningham) had agreed to do so. Mr. Morris went on with the work, and very shortly Mr. H. A. Munroe Butler Johnstone came from England and took charge of it. Mr. Morris continued his work until he had erected 10 smelting furnaces, and also had boarded the company's large force of men. At one time shortly after his arrival, Johnstone borrowed from Morris $5,000. Mr. Morris stated all this was done on the credit of the Mammoth Mining Company, and without knowledge of any responsibility on the part of any one else.

Evidence was introduced showing that from January, 1882, until Johnstone arrived here, W. H. H. Bowers had been in charge of the Mammoth mine and works, using the company's blanks for pay-rolls, orders, etc., and signing himself manager, and, after his arrival, Johnstone did the same.

The defendants introduced in evidence a series of contracts made by Mr. Cunningham and the McIntyre Bros. to W. H. H. Bowers, for the sale of stock of the Mammoth Mining Co. upon certain payments to be made monthly, and certain structures to be erected on the company's property, including the smelters and refinery constructed by Morris. Johnstone acquired a half interest in the contract with Bowers. After a few months administration, money failing to come, Johnstone left suddenly, went back to England, and shortly after the McIntyres' and Cunningham declared the contract forfeited.

The latter gentlemen also testify that always, when they knew of Bowers or Johnstone using the name on the printed blanks of the company, they forbade it, and warned parties who were dealing with them that they had no right to use the name of the company.

(The jury was excused on May 21, 1885 after voting 11 to 1 in favor of the plaintiff. The single vote against was found to have been in contact with the defendants, and also to be a stockholder in the Mammoth company, which he was not asked about, nor did he volunteer. The judge declared contempt of court and set a new trial which was set for March 29, 1886. The trial continued until April 5th, at which time another juror was found to be "tinted" by not revealing his friendship with Elias Morris. The Jury was again dismissed and a retrial set for November 29, 1886. The new trial was delayed until December 4th, at which time a new jury was selected. On December 15, 1886 after hearing testimony for a week, the new jury was unable to reach an unanimous decision and was discharged. On May 6, 1887, a new trial was called and the case dismissed, after the parties settled. The settlement was that the Mammoth company paid Elias Morris $15,000 cash, which he accepted in lieu of his claim of $30,000. The suit had lasted four years, and used up three juries.)

(By early 1888, as the above case worked its way through the courts, the McIntyres and their associates were back in control of the company, and Bowers and Butler-Johnstone were no longer affiliated with the Mammoth company.)

February 8, 1888
"The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Mammoth Mining Company was held in this city yesterday, 234,963 shares of 400,000 being represented. The following officers were elected: William McIntyre, president and director; J. A. Cunningham, vice-president and director; Samuel McIntyre, treasurer and director; Robert Harkness, Thomas W. Jennings, W. M. Bradley and H. P. Mason, directors; J. Fred. Corker, secretary." (Salt Lake Herald, February 8, 1888)

(With the McIntyres back in control, in late 1888 they and their associates began making arrangements to sell the property to a new company free from foreign stock ownership. Because the mine had been so rich and profitable for at least 15 years, there were many hurdles to be overcome. The company stock was very scattered among stockholders in Utah territory, in other nearby territories, in the hands of Eastern investors, and in the hands of English investors. Getting the variety of stockholders to agree to a sale would prove to be very difficult. This was apparently in case their case failed in the Territorial Supreme Court, which it did, to no affect on the company.)

February 4, 1891
During the year 1890, the Mammoth mine shipped a total of 9,849 tons of ore, with a low of 418 tons in February 1890, and a high of 1,512 tons in December 1890. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 4, 1891)

(That is an average of about 27 carloads per month. This was before the Mammoth reduction mill was completed in 1894, and before railroad service to Mammoth. The ore shipped by the Mammoth mine at time was by wagon and team down to the railroad at Ironton. The Salt Lake & Western between Lehi and Tintic had been completed in 1882.)

February 27, 1891
"The McIntyres are quietly picking up scattering shares wherever they can find them, and William McIntyre has increased his holdings until he possesses 106,000 shares, his brother not falling far short of that amount. "Bishop" Cunningham owns 65,000 shares, and a bunch of 70,000 shares is owned in England. The balance is scattered about this city. The total number of shares for which the mine is stocked is 400,000. As will be seen, the McIntyre brothers own over half of this and control the mine." (Salt Lake Herald, February 27, 1891)

(Note that there were still significant number of shares held by English investors.)

May 28, 1891
"The Mammoth No. 2. -- The articles of incorporation of the Mammoth No. 2 Mining and Milling company were filed with the clerk of the probate court yesterday. The company is organized for the purpose of conducting a general mining and milling business, and is capitalized at $2,000,000, divided into 200,000 shares of the denomination of $10 each." Officers and directors as follows: Samuel McIntyre, president, 9,900 shares; Benjamin Bachman, vice president, 130,000 shares; H. T. Duke, secretary-treasurer (0 shares); with H. F. Duke, Isaac Jennings, and J. A. Shettle as additional directors, each with 100 shares. (Salt Lake Herald, May 29, 1891)

(No apparent action was taken by this company.)

June 13, 1891
Samuel McIntyre owned 109,000 shares, and William McIntyre owned 106,000 shares, of the Mammoth company's 400,000 shares. A total of 215,000 shares owned by the two brothers together. (Salt Lake Herald, June 13, 1891)

December 22, 1894
"Tintic Miner: No leases are being renewed at the Mammoth mine and as fast as the leasers can clean up they are being put to work at day's pay. It will be but a short time until the Mammoth Company has a large force at work on the old day plan. It is believed the change will be beneficial, as while under the leasing system a few made a great deal of money, the majority were barely paying expenses. By working the force at day's pay the money will be more equally distributed and contribute more to a general prosperity." (Salt Lake Tribune, December 22, 1894)

May 29, 1895
"Mammoth Looks Well. Gold Ores Are Found on Nearly All the Levels. -- L. C. Trent, of the directory of the Mammoth Mining company, has returned from a visit of several days to the Tintic district, during which he inspected several of the mines and all of the mills there. He reports that there has been practically no change in the condition of the Mammoth for some weeks past. It is true that the gold ore is being found on the 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200 foot levels and several carloads a month are being taken out and shipped, but on the 1,300 foot level none of the high grade has yet been encountered. There is a good showing of lead ore, however, and the level is in good shape. For some time past, in fact, since the company did away with the leasing system, heavy timbering has been in progress and the property is now just approaching a perfect condition as far as the timbering is concerned. During the time the leasers were operating in the mine they did not make an effort to keep up the timbering and in consequence the company has been forced to go to the heavy expense of making the necessary improvements. One order of 100,000 feet of timbers went into the mine and was swallowed up in such a hurry that the management was almost at a loss to determine where the material had gone. It was simply a drop in the bucket." (Salt Lake Herald, May 29, 1895)

March 5, 1896
"Mammoth Mining company - Sweeping changes were made in the directorate, four new members being elected out of a total of seven, and greater harmony now seems to exist than for some time past. The reports showed that the mine was operated at an average profit of over $8000 per month during 1895, and that the company was out of debt. Following were the officers and directors elected: President, William McIntyre; vice-president, James A. Cunningham; treasurer, H. S. Young; Samuel McIntyre, P. T. Farnsworth, W. W. Riter and J. T. Little. Shipments of high-grade ore from the 1200 and 1300 levels have been resumed, but there is still no probability of immediate dividends, as it is almost certain that a 2000-foot hoisting plant and a double-compartment shaft must be provided, and possibly other improvements." (Inter-Mountain Mining Review, March 5, 1896)

February 2, 1897
Deseret News, February 2, 1897.

Mammoth's New Shaft Down to the Tunnel Level and Work Being Pushed.

The connection with the new hoisting plant on the hill having been made from the tunnel level of the Mammoth, the work of installing the immense machinery is being pushed ahead as fast as possible and during the present month the company should be hoisting from the 1,300 foot level with its new hoist. The connection below was perfect and the new work fitted into the old as neatly as a pin. Preparations are also being made for the sinking of the main shaft from the 1,300 foot level to the 1,600 foot level, in order that the hoist may be direct and that ore and waste may only be handled once. The Mammoth properties are looking exceptionally well just now and the production of shipping and milling ore is regular and heavy.

Recent developments below the 1,500 foot level have demonstrated the fact that the vein goes down below the 1,600 strong and regular, and a great stretch of new country has been opened up. With its new plant in full operation the Mammoth will be in a position to make a splendid production record. Several big bodies of high grade gold and silver ore have recently been opened up and each day's development but adds to the ore reserves.

The monthly cleanup was made at the Mammoth mill on Sunday and shipments of concentrates are to follow. The mill is working to full capacity and is doing very good work, except it is with the vanners, which are reported to be losing some of the values. Several of the company directors, including the Messrs. McIntyre, Cunningham, Farnsworth and Young spent Saturday and Sunday at the properties on a visit of inspection, while Director Samuel McIntyre remained over until Monday.

February 2, 1898
From Salt Lake Herald, February 2, 1898.

The Mammoth mining company held its annual stockholders' meeting yesterday, a majority of the stock of the company being represented at the meeting, the board of directors for the ensuing year being elected as follows:

Samuel McIntyre, president; J. A. Cunningham, vice president; H. S. Young, treasurer; William McIntyre, W. M. Bradley, Francis Armstrong, Samuel McIntyre, J. F. Corker being unanimously reinstated as secretary.

A change was made in the head of the company, but it is understood that the management will remain about the same, as the affairs of the company will be placed in charge of an executive committee of three, who will probably be composed of Sam and Will McIntyre and J. A. Cunningham.

During the year there were milled at the company's 60-stamp mill, 38,500 dry tons of ore, of which 3,500 tons were taken from the second class dump at mine, which was mined before the mill was built. The gross recovery from the ore was $7.65 per dry ton milled. It cost to realize on the product of the mill, $1.01 for each dry ton milled. Labor, coal and chemicals cost $2.74 per ton, and mining and hauling $2.18, leaving a net profit of $1.72 per dry ton.

This ore was too low in value to admit of a profit on shipment to the market, having been stored from the first class ore that was shipped and sold on the Salt Lake market.

The mill produced 8,271 ounces of gold and 178,976 ounces of silver. The value of lead and copper recovered in the mill concentrates was $26,700.

February 7, 1899
The Mammoth Mining company held its annual meeting and elected the following officers and directors: William McIntyre, president; Samuel McIntyre, vice president; H. S. Young, secretary; J. F. Corker, treasurer; with the following additional directors, George H. Robinson; David Evans; W. W. Riter; and Francis Armstrong. James A. Cunningham, one of the heaviest stockholders, was eliminated from the board of directors. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 8, 1899, "yesterday")

June 20, 1899
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Mammoth Mining company, the company was reorganized resulting in William McIntyre selling his large block of shares in the company to by his brother Samuel McIntyre, and with William being replaced as president by his brother Samuel. David Evans was not re-elected to the board. (Deseret News, June 21, 1899, "yesterday")

(With William McIntyre no longer part of the management of the Mammoth company, James Cunningham approached Samuel McIntyre about purchasing the Mammoth mill. The assay office at the Mammoth mill had been destroyed by fire on June 8th, and in rebuilding the assay office, and taking advantage of the down time, much needed repairs and upgrades were completed at the mill. With more accurate assays and mill upgrades, with changes at local smelters allowing lower grade ores, Samuel McIntyre decided not to sell the mill, but to begin milling more low grade ore.)

July 29, 1899
From the Salt Lake Herald, July 29, 1899.

During the present month, Mr. McIntyre has shipped from that great Tintic producer over 2,000 tons of ore that has swelled the company's treasury over $50,000, which means a net profit on the ore of $25 a ton. While these movements have been going on the mill has been kept running and has treated about 2,000 tons of ore that gave returns of something like $12 a ton, or an average of $1 to $1.50 a ton less than the average obtained under the old management, when every particle of ore running up to $30 was put through the big plant.

Sam McIntyre has established a new rule at the Mammoth, and from now on he proposes to ship all ore running over $15 to the smelters. The mill has made such a splendid record during the present month it has now been decided not to sell it to James A. Cunningham, who has had his fish line out for it ever since William McIntyre retired from the Mammoth company. This decision was reached only within the last day or so, and only since it was figured up what the plant has been doing since the last day of June. It is now proposed to keep the mill in operation on all the low-grade ores running between $10 and $15.

Judging from the month's record, the new management is getting about the same results from the low-grade ores as were formerly obtained from ores running up to twice that value.

The former management not being sufficiently careful to keep a lot of waste, which carried no values of any consequence, from getting mixed up with the ore before it reached the mill. Nothing is shipped or goes to the mill that is not ore.

There are 160 men on the payroll at the present time. Before the present month closes the Mammoth will have shipped eighty cars of ore.

February 15, 1901
Samuel and William McIntyre purchased 143,000 shares of the Mammoth No. 2 Mining and Milling company, , which property of 200 feet by 400 feet lay between the Mammoth company ground, and the Ajax company ground, giving them full title to the property. As late as November 1916, William McIntyre was president of the Mammoth Mining No. 2 Mining and Milling company. (Salt Lake Mining Review, February 15, 1901; November 30, 1916)

December 3, 1904
During the last week of November 1904, the Mammoth mine shipped 10 cars of ore, both first-class and second-class. (Salt Lake Herald, December 3, 1904)

January 18, 1918
Again, the Mammoth people threatened to build an aerial tramway to move their ore from their mine down to the Rio Grande. This was due to the high rates being charged by the Salt Lake Route railroad on its New East Tintic railroad between the Mammoth mine and mill. The aerial tramway would be about one mile long and would avoid any tie-up due to weather during the winter. A similar tramway was in operation at the nearby Grand Central mine and has saved many thousands of dollars every year. (Eureka Reporter, January 18, 1918)

(This threat of building an aerial tramway was a regular thing for the Mammoth mine owners, but they never took action. The threats were most likely a negotiating tactic to improve the rates being charged by the railroad.)

February 23, 1923
"At a recent meeting of the directors of the Samuel McIntyre Investment Co., held at Salt Lake, Samuel McIntyre, Jr., was named as superintendent of the Mammoth mine and he will also act as manager for the Mammoth Supply Co. store. For some years these positions have been held by Earl McIntyre, who now intends to devote his attention to his private interests, including his leasing operations in the Grand Central and Mammoth mines. Samuel McIntyre, Jr., for several years performed the same work which he has again taken up." (Eureka Reporter, February 23, 1923)

January 23, 1930
Samuel McIntyre died on Thursday, January 23, 1930, at the age of 84.

1935-1936
1936 Production -- "The Mammoth mine with a continuous production record of nearly sixty years was fourth [in 1936] with 403 carloads as compared with 474 in 1935. Like other mines in the district, this mine was shut down for three months due to labor trouble." (Eureka Reporter, January 4, 1957, "Twenty Years Ago")

1936-1937
1937 Production -- "The Mammoth mine dropped in production. The property shipped 740 carloads in 1938 as against 938 in 1937. This was due to the fact that a smaller tonnage of dump ore was marketed." (Eureka Reporter, January 16, 1959, "Twenty Years Ago")

1938-1939
1939 Production -- "The next in line was the old reliable Mammoth Mining Co., which had been producing steadily since the first days in Tintic. This company marketed 718 carloads of ore in 1939 against 740 in 1938." (Eureka Reporter, January 22, 1960, "Twenty Years Ago")

March 28, 1947
From the Western Mineral Survey, March 28, 1947.

The great metal mines surrounding the town of Eureka, Utah, while having produced millions in wealth during past years, are now responding to far-reaching exploration programs started during recent months.

Tintic, Utah, once one of Utah's great mining districts, and for many years the leading silver producing district in the nation, is once again the scene of renewed attention in an effort to reestablish it in the metal mining world.

Since its discovery in the early seventies, Tintic has never given out. It has contributed much to the commerce and industry of the state by its production of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc. But it has languished. Many of its great mines such as the Centennial Eureka, Bullion Beck, Mammoth, Chief Consolidated and Tintic Standard have passed their peaks, at least temporarily.

Tintic has outlived many booms and depressions, but today it needs development and encouragement. Those who know the district believe that Tintic has only been scratched and that it will see greater days ahead.

It is encouraging to learn that new capital has entered the district has leased the Little May property in the south end of the camp and plans an extensive prospecting campaign to sound out the productive possibilities of that area. The North Lily Mining Company has leased the old No. 2 shaft of the Chief Consolidated and has started work in that area, and the Tintic Standard and North Lily is prospecting in the eastern end of the district as fast as available manpower will permit.

May 23, 1958
The last reported shipment from the Mammoth mine was in May 1958 when the mine shipped 120 tons. (Eureka Reporter, May 23, 1958)

(The last newspaper reference to the Mammoth Mining company was in October 1986.)

Mammoth After 1994

In 1993 and 1994, Centurion Mines Corporation purchased the mineral lands and the controlling interest in the Mammoth Mining company, the Godiva Mining company and the Grand Central Mining company. Centurion had grand plans to reactive each of these mines and return Tintic to its former glory. Nothing ever came of these plans. There were joint ventures with Kennecott and BHP Minerals, but only for exploratory drilling over and above the very limited drilling done by Centurion itself. In both cases, Kennecott and BHP backed out of their respective joint ventures after a year of drilling without any results.

(Read more about the Mammoth and nearby mines all under common ownership after 1993) (Includes Centurion Mines, Grand Central Silver Mines, and Spenst Hansen, and currently Ivanhoe Electric)

Mammoth Mill

The Mammoth mine operated its own concentrating, or reduction mill from 1894 to 1904. The Mammoth mill was located on the south side of the mouth of Mammoth Hollow.

(Read more about the Mammoth Mill)

More Information

New East Tintic Railway -- Built by the Mammoth Mining company to haul their ore from the mine down to the town of Mammoth, and interchange with Union Pacific's Oregon Short Line subsidiary.

Railroads and Mining at Tintic -- A history of railroads and mining in the Tintic Mining District (Updated and expanded from an article in The Streamliner, published by the Union Pacific Historical Society)

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